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Kenya, France to countinue strengthening bilateral relationship

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his French conterpart Emmanuel Macron have discussed several bilateral and multilateral subjects of mutual interest to Kenya and France.

Kenyatta and his host discussed the progress of key France supported infrastructure projects in Kenya including the expansion of the 233-kilometer Rironi-Nakuru-Mau Summit Road whose construction is set to kick-off in September this year.

The construction of the Mau Summit road started after the country signed a commercial agreement with French consortium Vinci during the first day of  Kenyatta’s state visit to France.
“The agreement will enter into force after the conduct of an environmental and social impact assessment, in accordance with the highest standards of the World Bank. The financial closing of the project should take place by the end of 2021”, French firm Vinci said in a statement.
According to Vinci, the French consortium made up of Vinci Highways SAS, Meridian Infrastructure Africa Fund, and Vinci Concessions SAS will design, finance, construct, operate, maintain, and transfer the expressway for 30 years.

Besides infrastructure, the duo discussed enhanced cooperation in the health sector particularly in building Kenya’s capacity to manufacture vaccines locally.

On the multilateral front, the two leaders spoke about the forthcoming Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Summit in London to be co-hosted by President Kenyatta and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The Summit is set for 28th and 29th this month, and aims at raising 5 billion USD in five years for investment in the education of 175 million children in low income countries across the world.

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Kenyatta was accompanied to Elysee Palace by Foreign Affairs CS Raychelle Omamo, his Infrastructure counterpart James Macharia and Kenya’s envoy to France Prof Judi Wakhungu.

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